Ruth Davidow

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, July 3, 1999

Ruth Davidow, one of the last surviving members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade - and one of the few women in it - died Monday in San Francisco. She was 87.

A nurse during the Spanish Civil War, Mrs. Davidow was honored by Spain for her service as part of the brigade. She celebrated her 85th birthday at the United Nations women's conference in Beijing and provided medical treatment to Native Americans who occupied Alcatraz Island during 1969-71.

Mrs. Davidow devoted much of her time to political causes in the Bay Area, where she was a longtime resident of Potrero Hill. She was born in Brooklyn in 1911.

She was a well-known public health nurse who served with the Spanish Republic on the side of the International Brigades in 1937-38. Later, she moved to Cuba to administer aid after the revolution in 1960-62 and worked in the South during the civil rights movement for the Medical Committee for Human Rights in 1965.

Mrs. Davidow was one of the only non-Native Americans to be allowed access to Alcatraz Island during the Indian takeover, providing the inhabitants with medical treatment.

Mrs. Davidow was also a well-known filmmaker, completing 21 films on health, geriatrics, and a variety of political subjects.

In 1996, Mrs. Davidow was honored by the Spanish government for her nursing services in the Spanish Civil War and was awarded honorary citizenship.

The following year, Mrs. Davidow traveled to Beijing to attend the Third International Women's Conference.